Unofficial Preview Brisbane v Melbourne - Gabba - Sunday, May 18 3.20pm

[Sproj]

I feel we need some changes just to freshen things up a bit.

I'd look at:

FB: Coleman, Payne, Lester
HB: Doedee, Andrews, Wilmott
C: LAshcroft, Bailey, Fletcher
HF: McLachlan, Hipwood, McCluggage
FF: Rayner, Morris, Ah Chee
Fol: Fort, Dunkley. WAshcroft

IC: Lohmann, Marshall, Zorko, Gallop, McKenna

 

[Happy_Neale]

Fort is great cover for O but not much else IMO but with Gawn next week I wouldn’t be playing Gallop yet either. So I guess it’s another week with Fort in the team.

Coaches really need to make a call on Gardiner and play him forward or leave him out altogether. Makes no sense as the sub. I would personally play him in the reserves but we know Fagan likes him. Would he handy if he could ruck but don’t think so.

Tackling was dreadful tonight as well. Bring back the guy from the Broncos this week

 

[M Malice]

Outs- Jarrod Berry(concussion), Darcy Gardiner

27

Darcy Gardiner

Age

29

Ht

192cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

4.1

4star

T

2.1

4star

G

0.0

1star

D

10.7

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

3.7

4star

T

2.1

3star

G

0.0

1star

D

10.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.0

1star

(omit).

Ins- Keidean Coleman, James Tunstill.

Fletcher to wing, Tunstill the sub, if it wasn't Max Gawn

11

Max Gawn

Age

33

Ht

209cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

6.7

4star

CL

2.8

4star

HO

35.3

5star

D

18.5

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

7.0

4star

CL

3.5

4star

HO

29.2

5star

D

8.4

3star

K

3.6

2star

HB

4.8

4star

CL

1.0

3star

HO

15.6

5star

I would of omitted Fort as well and brought in Gallop.

Big O looks out of form and tired, may be carrying an injury.

 

[Toffee Lion]

More confident going into this game than North if I’m being honest.

The midfield doesn’t usually have two stinkers in a row, so I expect the bounce back.

Don’t imagine we’ll rush Kiddy back just because of a draw.

 

[braddsey]

Outs- Jarrod Berry(concussion), Darcy Gardiner(omit).

Ins- Keidean Coleman, James Tunstill.

Fletcher to wing, Tunstill the sub, if it wasn't Max Gawn I would of omitted Fort as well and brought in Gallop.

Big O looks out of form and tired, may be carrying an injury.

If Oscar is tired/injured then give him a week off. Gawn will likely get hold of whoever we play in the ruck, he’s played amazing football the last few weeks.
Both Oscar and Fort play better as the sole #1 ruckman.
Better have one player get beaten in the ruck and win another position on the ground, than lose the ruck and resting forward.

 

[Clarkythelion]

We have seen over the years Fagan trusts his best team, whom he thinks is his best team. I expect nothing less this week.

we were heavily beaten in Clearances and Stoppage but no one would dispute our midfielders are not top quality and nor will the coaching crew. I do think we have to tinker with the 2 ruck systems, they seemed to be falling over each other and neither settled into their work.

Fagan said it in his press conference, just another game on their way to arrive at the finals then it starts again. We may see Doedee or Kiddy come in, but not both. Berry will be out allowing Jasper to come up to a wing giving space in the back line. Doedee was by all reports 'rested' so he maybe the one. Tinkering with the ruckman and how they change, maybe forte goes to emergency and when Oska's engine is done with no relief, they swap him out for forte's fresh legs. If forte is dropped whoever helps out in the ruck can't go against Gawn that will give the Demons periods of surge.

shall be interesting, i think our midfield is too competitive and professional to have 2 poor games in a row.

 

[3KZ is Football]

I’ll post the official preview tonight or tomorrow morning. Until then.

Out: Berry (Inj), Gardiner (Omitted)
In: Robertson, McKenna

 

[StevoJenkins]

I said this years ago before Daniher started getting more involved in games, but we've got a massive McStay (Daniher) contested mark hole in the forward line, and our smalls have seemed to have lost their confidence to go for speckies.

Yesterday's game is a bit of an outlier due to us not playing well in Tazzie as of late, so I'd just go with the change of Bruce or Marshall for Berry. Darcy being the sub makes sense in case we want to replace Fort or another forward if Oscar comes out on top. Depends on if Fullerton gets a go to chop out for Gawn. Could make Marshall the sub and play Bruce for Berry instead.

VLF watchers, do you think with Day being down that Fages would consider playing Lloyd at some stage? Don't know if he can ruck, but could we run a team with him in the forward line, and just O as a sole ruck (next week)?

 

[irel]

I haven't as yet gone through the 5 stages of grief re: North game to even think about Melbourne.
Few more days I reckon.

 

[p4p1]

Bring in Doedee - Fletcher back to a wing. Coming back and playing on a flanker could be a better introduction back to the AFL rather than a 3rd tall. Even if it is a Melbourne 3rd tall. We will need to prepare for Tracc going forward without us being able to send Starce to him, which leaves Lester, Answerth or Doedee. You couldn't send Fletcher to Tracc because he would just get bullied. We need another wing to make up for the Bezz loss.

Give Kiddy at least another week in the VFL. I don't know how much time he played on the weekend but based on stats, it doesn't look like he dominated.

Berry out through injury and I would drop Fort and Gardiner as well. Bring in Gallop for a taste at AFL level. I doubt he will be a game changer but he will provide more run and more defensive pressure than either O or Fort when they are up forward. As posted above me, I also don't see the reason in having 2 rucks against Gawn. He will pants both of them and we will lose something up forward. Better to admit defeat in the ruck battle and have a forward who will compete and could bring us pressure and run both on and off the ball.

FB: Answerth Andrews Lester
HB: Zorko Payne Doedee
C: Fletcher Neale LAshcroft
Foll: McInerny, Dunkley, McCluggage
HF: Ah Chee Morris Bailey
FF: Cameron Hipwood Gallop
Int: WAshcroft, Lohmann, Rayner, Willmott
Sub: McKenna or Tunstill

I don't think we need to make wholesale changes. We were a bit off but as Fages always does I think you back most of your proven players. I'm not sure if LAshcroft has the tank to play out a full game on the wing yet but you can rotate, Zorks, Clugg, Bailey and Ah Chee through there if you need to. All of those guys would do a good job on the wing. Obviously with Zorks we lose his kicking in defence if he is up on a wing but Doedee (from all accounts) is a very good kick, Lester usually makes the right decision coming out of defence and Willmott can and will break lines.

 

[knaf]

I said this years ago before Daniher started getting more involved in games, but we've got a massive McStay (Daniher) contested mark hole in the forward line, and our smalls have seemed to have lost their confidence to go for speckies.

Yesterday's game is a bit of an outlier due to us not playing well in Tazzie as of late, so I'd just go with the change of Bruce or Marshall for Berry. Darcy being the sub makes sense in case we want to replace Fort or another forward if Oscar comes out on top. Depends on if Fullerton gets a got to chop out for Gawn. Could make Marshall the sub and play Bruce for Berry instead.

VLF watchers, do you think with Day being down that Fages would consider playing Lloyd at some stage? Don't know if he can ruck, but could we run a team with him in the forward line, and just O as a sole ruck (next week)?

Lloyd has not been travelling that well. I was thinking about him after the Saturday game as it was probably his best for the year but still along way off promotion. I meant to check today if he had an interrupted preseason as his form, in my view, has been poor.

You are right we are missing a strong contested marking target. A Hail Mary from the vfl would be Gallop or ZZ. ZZ surprisingly good as an undersized ruck/follower, but not ready to face Gawn.

 

[Section 5]

I am a one ruck fan with the relief ruck being serviceable in that area but is good around the ground.
That makes up for not being a good relief ruck. Day was not great around the ground, but he was improving.
Your midfield should play to the winning ruck anyhow be it Lions or opposition, especially if one is dominant.
Daniher was a terrible ruck to start at Brisbane, but he got better the more he played that role.
He was great around the ground, but there are very few like Joe.

I was happy enough to run with two rucks v North because i thought we would beat them even if 2 rucks did not work well.
Of course, with our long injury list in the only position we lack depth, it was the right call against lowly North.

I think Dunkley should fill the void until someone becomes available. He will be a non-existent ruck but excellent around the ground. Any center bounce attendances he just stays down (avoiding injury) and tackles the opposition ruck if able.
We then have one extra midfielder following the ball in play while Oscar is off. Thats usually around 15-17%.

A normal CBA: Oscar, Neale, Dunkley, McCluggage
Big O on bench: Dunkley, Neale, McCluggage, Raynor (or Will).

Hippy takes the ruck in the forward 50 area and Payne and/or Andrews in the defensive 50.
Dunkley is sort of a defender or forward at those times.

I know posters won't agree but i would also play Gardiner forward as that takes a lot of pressure off Morris.
We got continually out marked in our forward 50 which has not previously been the case this year
Ah-Chee with another below par game did not help either. Neither did the high kicks inside 50.

Out: Fort, Berry
In: (one of Doedee/Kiddy/Beecken all a bit of a risk for different reasons) with Fletcher returning to the wing.
In as Sub: (one of Tunstill/McKenna/Marshall/Torrent)

 

[M Malice]

We have some really good candidates for the sub spot on our list, hopefully we use one of our runners this Sunday.

James Tunstill, Sam Marshall, Luke Beecken, Conor McKenna, Dev Robertson would all be a better option at sub than Darcy Gardiner

27

Darcy Gardiner

Age

29

Ht

192cm

Wt

91kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.6

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

4.1

4star

T

2.1

4star

G

0.0

1star

D

10.7

3star

K

7.9

3star

HB

2.9

2star

M

3.7

4star

T

2.1

3star

G

0.0

1star

D

10.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

4.2

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.0

1star

... in my admittedly nugatory opinion.

 

[p4p1]

I am a one ruck fan with the relief ruck being serviceable in that area but is good around the ground.
That makes up for not being a good relief ruck.

While neither Fort or O are slouches, Melbourne couldn't make it work with Gawn and Grundy, both better rucks and at least Gawn is a more effective forward than our two guys.
Fremantle can't seem to make it work with Darcy and Jackson, despite Jackson being extremely athletic for his size.
At the moment playing two rucks is not a winning combination for anyone, as far as I can see. Collingwood may be the exception but Cox has spent the majority of his career forward rather than primarily in the ruck.
In the old days you could have a resting ruckman up forward because the team wasn't expected to cover so much ground through the course of the game. As the smaller players tired from running, the big men were still big as the old saying goes and could take an easy mark over a tired smaller man. Now players all over the ground are expected to cover a similar amount of ground and there isn't any stay at home forward pocket positions.
Then you have to take into account how many ruckmen (all of them if we are being honest) are not natural forwards. If they were we would have more Sam Darcy's in the competition. Darcy's size isn't an outlier in the AFL, it is his mix of skill, athleticism and forward nous that making him a troubling forward for any defence.

 

[Happy_Neale]

Any update on Starce? Last article I can find had mentioned he was back running at training over a month ago. Has he had another setback?

 

[Jivlain]

Preview - Round 10, 2025 Brisbane Lions v Narrm

When Saturday 18th May Where Gabba, Brisbane / Yuggera - Toorabul First Bounce 3:20pm 3KZ’s ‘Best Guess’ Line-up FB: Lester, Payne, Answerth HB: Zorko, Andrews, Wilmot C: Fletcher, Bailey, McCluggage HF: Cameron, Hipwood, Rayner FF: Ah Chee, Morris, Lohmann Fol: Fort, Neale, Dunkley Int...

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